Chapter 510: Innocence

[Chapter 510: Innocence]

Drew tilted her head, a stack of notes in her hand, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Didn't you feel it when someone just slipped something into your pocket?"

"I thought those girls were just trying to get friendly with me," Eric shrugged, obviously not oblivious to it. He reached for the papers Drew handed him and realized they were photos with contact information scribbled on them.

In recent years, Eric's film roles had evolved; he no longer held open auditions with regular actors but only sent invitations to established stars that fit the bill. He hardly participated in the selection of supporting roles anymore, so it had been a while since he had encountered such a scenario. As he flipped through the photos of those young, vibrant girls, he felt a fresh and nostalgic rush, reminiscent of the times a few years back when he first made a splash in Hollywood with Home Alone and had similar experiences at parties in his house back in North Hollywood.

As Eric and Drew critiqued the photos of the girls, the door to Drew's office swung open, and in walked Elisabeth, clad in a sharp black business suit. "Eric, I heard from Ellie that you were here. I thought she might have been mistaken."

"Good morning, Liz," Eric grinned, shoving the stack of notes back into Drew's hands. He stepped forward to embrace the lady and planted a kiss on her cheek, "You look beautiful today."

While Elisabeth relished Eric's embrace, she felt Drew's piercing gaze and quickly brushed her cheek against Eric's, then stepped back, running her fingers through a strand of her golden hair. "The auditions are about to start. Let me take you to meet the creators of Buffy."

"Sure, let's go," Eric nodded. The three of them exited the office, traversing an open office area before entering a spacious room set up for the audition.

As soon as they entered, a few people engaged in quiet conversation turned to them, standing up and directing their attention toward Eric.

"Eric, this is David Greenwalt," Elisabeth introduced, pointing at a middle-aged man with black-framed glasses in his forties. "He's great with teen and horror genres. He directed a few campus comedies in the '80s and last year helmed a couple of episodes of The X-Files. We invited him to direct the first season of Buffy."

"Hello, Mr. Williams," David Greenwalt beamed, extending a hand for Eric to shake. "Great to meet you. I'm a big fan."

"Thank you," Eric replied, smiling as he shook David's hand. While he couldn't quite place the guy in his memory, hearing that he directed The X-Files suggested he was part of the Fox network.

"This is Joss Whedon, the writer of Buffy," Elisabeth quickly gestured to the second individual.

Eric shook Joss Whedon's hand. Joss was a few years over thirty, with a savvy look that seemed much more appealing than Eric's memory of a bearded figure.

After a brief introduction of a few other creators, they all sat down at a long table.

...

Eric declined the middle seat they had set for him and chose the far left side. He had come just to have a bit of fun and had no intention of getting involved in the audition.

Looking at the stack of actor profiles Tina Fey gave him, Eric handed it back directly. "Tina, I don't need this. How much of the Buffy script have you finished?"

Everyone in the audition room focused on this exchange. Tina, not wanting to push back, took the papers Eric returned and neatly tucked them back into a folder, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "The scripts for the first six episodes are finished. We're still discussing the plots for the rest."

"Then just bring me the scripts for the first six to look at."

Tina glanced at Drew and Elisabeth, who sat in the middle. Shortly after, she nodded at Eric and left the audition room. A little while later, she returned with a printed copy in hand and handed it to Eric.

The auditions began promptly at ten. Eric casually flipped through the Buffy script, pausing to watch any auditioning girl he found attractive. Also, listening to Drew's serious tone as he and the other creators asked questions made Eric realize that the girl who used to act like a know-it-all had truly grown up.

As one of the key TV projects developed this year, Buffy also represented the ambitions of several women in television. Besides Eric, who held the title of producer, both Elisabeth and Drew actively participated as producers. Though their company had grown beyond many esteemed Hollywood studios, thanks to backing from Firefly and Fox, they completely steered clear of distribution. This focus made production their only core business. Although it did mean they had to play a very hands-on role, everything remained organized.

Since this was the final round of auditions, the process was much more detailed, and only five girls had auditioned after two hours that morning. In a considerate move, Fox hosted the girls who had yet to audition in the cafeteria of their building.

...

Eric chose not to join the crowd and instead had lunch with Elisabeth and Drew in the company's break room. Tina had originally intended to join the others for lunch but was stopped by Drew.

After the waiter delivering their meals left, Elisabeth eagerly asked, "Eric, what did you think of the girls this morning?"

"They were all good. You all just pick who you want; I won't comment," Eric casually replied as he opened his lunch.

This was the truth. Although Hollywood kicked off countless TV series every year, few, like Buffy, secured a promising future before production even began. The show had already gone through two rounds of eliminations, leaving only sixteen contenders in the running. Those who made it this far were typically strong actors, so it was now up to the creative team to make their choices.

At this point, the soft skills of the actors also began to play a methodical role in their chances of selection. If an actor's agent possessed considerable industry connections and could covertly reach influential producers, the actor would have a strong chance of selection. Of course, this period was typically when those with pull, like directors or producers, would seek to strike private deals. Eager-to-make-it young actors often fell into such traps, offering favors willingly. Even if they realized too late they had been played, they usually just had to accept their misfortune.

With these thoughts, Eric smiled at Elisabeth, "Liz, this is a great opportunity for you."

Elisabeth initially looked a bit confused but soon caught on. Seeing Eric joke about the previous incident left her rolling her eyes at him as she focused on her lunch.

"Speaking of which, it's been a while since I saw Julia," Eric noted, realizing Elisabeth wasn't snapping back at him like usual. "That girl really has a way of delaying things. I had her start filming around this time last year, and she did manage to shoot one small film without much buzz, but then she went quiet."

"Ha ha..."

Elisabeth suddenly chuckled, seemingly recalling something.

Tina Fey looked up, puzzled as to why Elisabeth was laughing.

Drew, grinning, chimed in, "That's really on you, Eric. You need to give Julia a bit of a talking to in Beverly Hills, and she'll perk up."

Seeing the playful look on Drew's face made Eric wonder if she had somehow caught wind of Julia's situation.

Though he thought this, he replied, "Alright then, I'll swing by tonight."

...

The afternoon auditions kicked off shortly after, and Eric continued to chill on the sidelines, thinking the session might be low-key with Eric's presence. The other creators involved with Buffy were finally relaxing. But then, a tall girl walked into the audition room, grabbing Eric's attention immediately.

Another familiar face!

Eric marveled at the coincidence and sat up straight to listen to the girl introducing herself.

"Hi everyone, I'm Charlize Theron, eighteen years old, from South Africa..."

At that time, while Charlize stood above 5'7", her youthful round cheeks still suggested a baby face, but her gaze embodied an effortless allure that would develop into something striking in just a few years. Initially adept at introducing herself, she casually glanced at Eric, her expression momentarily surprised but quickly relaxed. However, she couldn't help but steal glances toward Eric repeatedly thereafter.

He noticed that fleeting glance and recognized she must have arrived after finishing other obligations, as she hadn't been around when he walked past the hall. Most girls who knew Eric was in the room had at least attempted to engage him in conversation during their auditions. Those who did so often revealed their motives more clearly.

After Charlize's introduction, Elisabeth, sitting in the middle, asked, "Miss Theron, your profile says you've been training in ballet since you were six and even participated in a ballet company in New York. What made you decide to leave that path for acting?"

Charlize replied promptly, "I injured my knee dancing last year, and after months of recovery, I realized that dance might not be what I wanted. My dream has always been to act, so once I healed, I started working while studying acting at a drama school in New York."

Another voice quickly followed up with, "After twelve years, you just quit like that? Don't you feel it's a waste? Maybe if you persevered a few more years, you could have become a shining star on Broadway?"

Charlize hesitated briefly, and Eric was curious about her answer, sensing this question was unexpected.

Even though it didn't relate closely to the audition, she understood she couldn't refuse to answer. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I don't regret it. If someone realizes that what they're doing isn't what they want, forcing themselves to persist and wasting time is the real pity."

Seemingly pleased with Charlize's response, the panel threw a few more simple questions her way, and then it was time for her performance.

The scenes for the performance primarily included moments straight from the script Eric had in front of him. Buffy's character in the first season still displayed a touch of innocence and vulnerability. Stripped of her 'Chosen One' status, she resembled most teenage girls, embodying a blend of naivete and rebellion, yearning for love yet plagued with insecurity around boys.

However, given Eric's memories of Charlize's on-screen roles -- often fierce and compelling -- seeing her attempt to portray a shy high school girl felt strange to Eric.

Thus, when Charlize performed a scene where Buffy wistfully watched her crush walk away, asking Giles, "Do you think this outfit makes me look fat?" Eric couldn't help but chuckle.

His unexpected laughter disrupted Charlize's performance and prompted the rest of the audition attendees to look over at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Eric waved his hands dismissively, "I just thought... um, never mind, you all continue."

...

Outside the Fox headquarters, Charlize stomped her foot in frustration against a lamp post in front of the building, but her inner turmoil had yet to subside.

It was all that bastard's fault.

Charlize was sure her performance had been flawless; after all, she had prepared extensively for this audition. She didn't just watch Buffy: the Vampire Slayer's movie version repeatedly; her agent had retrieved additional detailed information through personal channels. Yet that guy's sudden laughter during the audition had shattered her calm and led to multiple missteps.

Though the panel hadn't shown significant disappointment, she still caught glimpses of it on their faces as she left.

*****

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